Providing for Our Children's Future

Ron and Kathy worked for many years building their nest egg for retirement. While they felt their savings and investments would cover their needs, they wanted to make sure that their three children were provided for in the future. One afternoon, a gift planner met with them to thank them for their faithful gifts each year. The conversation turned to the couple's long-term planning goals.

Kathy: We wanted to continue making annual gifts to charity. Yet at the same time, I was concerned about sacrificing our children's inheritance.

Ron: Our stock portfolio had appreciated significantly over the years. I wanted to pass these gains on to my family without paying a lot in gift or estate tax.

The gift planner told them about a way they could achieve their personal and charitable goals through a charitable lead trust. The trust would pay income to the charity for a number of years. Then the full trust value, plus any growth, would go to their children. The plan would allow them to pass on substantial wealth to their family with little or no gift tax. It would also reduce the size of their estate in addition to helping the charity further its work.

Kathy: I could see how this plan would be very helpful if the trust was funded with our stock. Each of our children would receive one-third of the trust assets in the future. At the same time, we would continue to make gifts to charity each year.

Ron: I also thought the plan was a good one. It would give our children time to learn how to save and invest their future inheritance. So, we set up a charitable lead trust plan that would begin paying our favorite charity income each year. The prospect of helping our children succeed in the future while providing for our favorite charitable cause made us pleased with our decision.

Is a charitable lead trust right for you?

A charitable lead trust can be an excellent part of many tax-planning strategies. If you have questions about lead trusts, please contact us.

*Please note: The names and image above are representative of a typical donor and may or may not be an actual donor to our organization.